Change from String to Date

I had to create 2 formulas to extract the date, however I still need the format to be in date vs sting.

I have created a formula to Date({@Batch Date 2})

@Batch Date 2 = Left ({@Batch Date},6 )

@Batch Date = Replace ({vwDailyBatchAnalChgs.Batch_Number},"VRE" ,"" )

Essentially I hade to Drop the first 3 letters of the batch number to gain access to the date which is in string format.

Thanks for any suggestions.